Landmark Egypt vote nears conclusion

CAIRO: Egyptians were voting on Tuesday in second-round run-offs for the third and final phase of staggered elections to choose the first parliament since mass protests ousted Hosni Mubarak in February last year.

Egypt's two main Islamist parties have scored a crushing victory in the seats declared so far, reflecting a regional trend since Arab Spring uprisings overthrew authoritarian secular regimes.

Under the complex electoral system, voters have been asked to cast three ballots - two for individual candidates and one for a party list - for the 498 elected seats in the lower house.

The run-off, which takes place over two days in the last nine of the country's 27 provinces to vote, is for individual candidates.

The powerful Muslim Brotherhood, the country's best organised political movement, has claimed the lead through its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP).

It has been closely followed by Al-Nur, which represents the ultra-conservative Salafi brand of Islam, raising fears among increasingly marginalised liberals about civil liberties and religious freedom.

The election is to be re-run in several constituencies between January 14 and January 19, after complaints over the conduct of the first-round voting were upheld.

The electoral commission has yet to announce when it will publish the final results.